PL: Arsenal a Ratings & Reactions

[RichardCanning]

No doubt if we'd played 4-5-1 and lost people would be on here complaining about the fact that we changed from 4-4-2, which had won us the past 4 games including the one at Old Trafford. Everyone's a wannabe football manager

[barry'sboots]

No doubt if we'd played 4-5-1 and lost people would be on here complaining about the fact that we changed from 4-4-2, which had won us the past 4 games including the one at Old Trafford. Everyone's a wannabe football manager

We may well have lost - Arsenal are a decent side and we could always have played poorly - but at least we would have tried something. As it was we were lucky to have only lost 3-0 as they were carving us open down the centre almost at will. The second and third goals both came from intricate play through our CM.

[onmeedson]

This was always going to happen, our midfield in a 4-4-2 is just to lightweight to cope with a runner down the centre, we do not defend the D and any team that exploits that area will score goals against us. Friedal has a problem with his positioning for free kick's, he is not fast enough to get across for the amount of room he leaves to his right and he doe's not spread himself for the second, just sits on his backside. Arsenal gave us a lesson have we awareness to learn from it?

[mikeyp102]

Arsenal deserved the victory, better than us all over the park...shows that we are not the finished article and that the team needs to be strengthened.

Our MOM - Friedel

Arse MOM - Fabregras, closely followed by Diaby. (Our midfield couldnt get anywhere near them).

[Ryan.]

We've got the loss out the system, now let's concentrate on another run.

[JulieB]

We battled hard but to me it shows how far behind the Sky 4 we really are :cry:

But we beat em at the Emirates last season...& TBH played em off the park!

Season before they were very lucky to get a last minute equaliser. Arsenal are a very decent team & 1st half there was very little to choose between the two teams. Referee blew up every time one of their players fell over & it took a moment of genius & a cameo appearance from Fabregas to defeat us...so I'm sorry...I can't agree with this.

[tom_avfc]

Formation was hugely flawed for me. To line up with just Petrov and Milner in the midfield against Song, Denilson and Diaby(who I thought was influential and has been whenever I've seen him) was naive. Yes, we played the same at Old Trafford but that was a much weakened United midfield. I think it was asking for an unbelievable performance from the two, particularly with little cover in the midfield battle from Young and particularly Downing. Substitutions were also a little dodgy.

However, if we played a 4-5-1, we could easily have got turned over in the same way and one game of questionable decisions and poor performances doesn't make us a bad team. Defensively we look immense at the moment and until that Fabregas free kick went in I was thinking a 0-0 was possible. Just hope that that midfield battle hasn't left us looking too tired for Liverpool, a game which we could easily take the 3 points judging by their performance against Wolves.

Well done Arsenal. A lesson in passing football and taking your chances.

[Christer]

I wonder if Fabregas know that Gabby was the only one in the wall that will not jump? If so he his brilliant, if not only lucky:-)

[marstonvilla]

the one thing we learnt from this defeat, is that we still need to buy quality in jan.

[thegodfathertm07]

We was well into it 45 minutes into the game. we even looked threatening after half time, we looked like we could nick it. fabregas came on and changed the whole dynamic of the game, we got done by a world class player, 3 wins in 4.

Friedal - nothing he could do about the goals, however i think he could have done better for the FIRST goal, the free-kick, a bit too slow but oh well.

L.Young - solid at the back, didnt do much wrong

Cueller - much like young, needs to stop hoofing in posession but often did well and got his head onto alot.

Dunne - MOTM, Brilliant, bargain buy of the season and was a rock at the back

Warnock - close call for motm but that goes to dunne, he was everywhere, did very well.

A Young - terrible, not what i expected from him, why isnt he beating his man on the wing anymore, part of me wishes we had aaron lennon over him sometimes....bubt i always get excited when hes on the ball. come on young, maybe the suspension will do him good.

Milner - bad pass, effectively killed off the game, wasnt up to his usual standard but oh well. hes still learning that position and imo he is still the best player we have

Downing - looked good on the ball imo sprayed the ball about well and has some nice touches, looks really good.

Petrov - didnt look up to it, wasnt the captains performance but hes a good player and will do better tommorow im sure of it.

Agbonglahor, wat can u say, worked hard but had no service. glad we have him here, special player but wasnt his day.

Heskey - glad he got subbed, didnt look match fit, his flick ons dont go into the right place where agbonlahor is. played poor and got subbed.

Subs: Carew - lazy word removed, cant even remember him on the ball................needs to start working hard or we better sell him, we cant have him and heskey.

Delph - this kid looks good, he had some nice touches passes, shuldnt have got booked so easily but hes young and passionate so wat do you expect, pretty excited about him and cant wait until his first start.

[Hanky]

Looking back as soon as Fabregas came on we should have put NRC on and got him to stick with him and not give him a second like he did with Gerrard. Hindsight and all that.

[kurtsimonw]

We aren't going to win every game, a loss was going to happen at some point, especially when you play away at Arsenal against 12 men. Pick ourselves up, move on.

[Christer]

Friedal - nothing he could do about the goals, however i think he could have done better for the FIRST goal, the free-kick, a bit too slow but oh well.

I think Big Brad had some serious talk with Gabby after the game. If he had jumped it would not been any goal

[GasGasGas]

If you noticed, Fabregas fired the ball the moment he noticed Freidel moving to his left, thus wrongfooting Freidel. This, plus the fact that the ball went through the only player who did not jump in the wall, makes this free kick absolutely perfect.

What's the point as well of putting on Carew for Heskey? I don't know if he even touched the ball in the Arsenal half. Surely another midfielder would be better to counter the threat of Fabregas, than an immobile striker up front whom we couldn't even get the ball to.

[Jez]

If you noticed, Fabregas fired the ball the moment he noticed Freidel moving to his left, thus wrongfooting Freidel. This, plus the fact that the ball went through the only player who did not jump in the wall, makes this free kick absolutely perfect.

What's the point as well of putting on Carew for Heskey? I don't know if he even touched the ball in the Arsenal half. Surely another midfielder would be better to counter the threat of Fabregas, than an immobile striker up front whom we couldn't even get the ball to.

Its not perfect because if Gabby had jumped he wouldn't have scored.

A perfect would have been everything as well as Gabby jumping and it still going in.

[moose]

Thought Warnock and Dunne were excellent. We were beaten by one man who stood out from the crowd. Not downbeat about one defeat, let's just forget it and concentrate on tonight.

I do agree with a lot of the points above about putting Carew on - I'd certainly have gone for a 5 man midfield instead.

[STRAKER]

Two words to describe todays game and that is Totally Outclassed by a better team.It was a huge reality check for us and shows how much long we still have got to go to be up there with the best.In saying that through we gave away position so many times to Arsenal and not hit our targets and when you do that against quality team it will kill you.For me we also gave them to much room to play and didnt close them down right away and not bring the ball up so easily.I thought our defence was awsome today considering the pressure it was on and the midfield and strike force not playing there part.

Ashely Young frustrates me bigtime so much quality and skill and does not use it enough and goes missing in games bigtime and that's why he wont go to the world cup.He's not consistent enough plays a great 2 minutes and then you dont see him and then he gets frustrated and looses the ball so easy and has a sook at his teammates if they give a bad ball.

We have to be patient lads for me Arsenal a the best side we have played this year and we a still on our lerning curve.

Totally outclassed? Did you watch the game? Dear oh dear.

The reason we lost is simple. The only difference between us and them is that they have one world class player, who can change a game, Fabregas. He scored a great free kick and a nice finish and that killed us off. We hardly gave them a sniff in the 1st half besides the decent chance early on and the game was there to be had. We should have stuck to our game plan more in the second half but still, it was only Fabregas that made the difference. We are a different team to Arsenal and we play differently to them - if you get dazzled by the fact that they play aesthetically pleasing yet at times ineffective football, then you need to read up on the game. I suggest, The Ladybird Big Book of Different Footballing Styles.

Christ.

Have to agree with 'ozvilla 28.' We were totally outclassed all over the pitch and anyone who suggests differently, needs their head looked at!

Time and time again, the only answer we had to Arsenal's cultured play was to knock a long ball up front in the hope that Gabby would get lucky and control a knock down from Heskey. It took about two seconds for Arsenal's defence to work out that the long ball was going to be our only threat and they quickly nulified it!

Our central midfield partnership of 'Sideways Petrov' or 'James in the shadow of class midfielders Milner' simply had no answer to Arsenal's midfield and were shown for what they are, good players, without the added class! MON simply needs to buy a class, creative midfielder in January if we are to stay in the top four.

Both Ash Young and Downing were absolute tosh, with the latter being excused because of his fitness levels not being what they should be after his injury and you can't blame him for that. Ashley Young on the other hand continued to dive for the camera's to get himself into the newspapers and on current form should not be be picked for the first team. He has contributed nothing for months now and thankfully, he will be absent against Liverpool.

It is obvious that we lack a creative spark in the centre of our midfield and if we are not to spend millions in January aquiring this then i would suggest taking a look at Dorrans at West Brom who is certainly better than Sidwell and more creative than Petrov, who is struggling to compete with the more athletic central midfielders in the Premiership.

I hope we will get a much improved performance against Liverpool and i wonder will MON make the same mistake twice in a few days and play the wrong system?

[Woodytom]

No way were we totally outclassed. Pretty even til they scored. Then they just hit us as we wer going for it. 3-0 flattered them in my opinion